Pressure regulator



United States Patent {72] Inventor John F. Taplin 2,806,481 9/1957 Faustl37/484.8 15 Sewall St., West Newton, Massachusetts 2,831.494 4/ I958Taplin l37/484.8

Primary Examiner-William F. O Dea l PP 829,204 AssistantExaminer-William H. Wright [22] F'led June Attorney-Erwin Salzer [45]Patented Dec. 8, 1970 ABSTRACT: An improvement of the pressure regulatordis- [541 fggfgggfiffiiggg closed in US. Pat. No. 2,707,966 to John F.Taplin, May 10, 1955 for PRESSURE REGULATOR VALVE having substan- |52lUS. Cl. 137/ 116.5, tiany the same performance characteristi; as thatpressure 137/434 l l l37/505'37 regulator valve but being made up ofconsiderably fewer parts, 1 Int. Cl. involving considerably smaller costof manufacture and hay. [50] Field of Search 137/1 16.5, ing a ifi flsmauer bulk The impmvemem consists, in 4843,50518- 505.37 essence, in asingle means performing the dual function of establishing a fluidpassage for venting fluid from the outflow References Cited passage ofthe device to reduce excess pressure therein and of UNITED T T PATENTSestablishing a mechanical tie between a pressure relief pintle 2,707,9665/1955 Taplin t. 137/505] 8 and a pressure supply pintle.

I o T r 4- I5 I o l 2O PRESSURE REGULATOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe desirable performance characteristics of pressure regulatorsaccording to US. Pat. No. 2,707,966 and according to the presentinvention are fully stated in the above patent, and reference may be hadto the same in regard to this aspect of the present invention.

The structure disclosed in the above patent includes mechanical tiemeans between a relief valve pintle 29 and a supply valve pintle 20.these tie means including a connecting tube 31 closed on both endsthereof by ball and socket joints and a clamp tube 35 attached to theaforementioned connecting tube by one of said ball and socket jointsand, in turn, affixed to the supply valve pintle 20. The structure ofthe above patent further includes separate fluid duct means forrelieving excess pressure at the downstream end of the system, thesefluid duct means being referred to asjet tube 19. According to theinstant invention a single part is substituted for the above mechanicaltie means and the above jet tube, thus performing both the mechanicalfunctions of said tie means and the fluid flow conduction function ofsaid jet tube.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A pressure regulator according to thisinvention includes a valve body defining a supply passage, an outflowpassage, a supply valve seat intermediate said supply passage and saidoutflow passage and a control chamber communicating with said outflowpassage by a restricted passageway. The pressttre regulator furtherincludes biased movable partition means bounding said control chamber onone side thereof and supporting an annular relief valve seat member anda reliefchamber-defining partition forming a relief chamber inside ofand separate from said control chamber. The regulator further includes aseal supported by the valve body thereof separating said supply passageand said outflow passage from said control chamber and biasing meanscapable of exerting a bias opposite to the bias acting upon said movablepartition means. In addition to the above a pressure regulator embodyingthis invention includes a substantially tubular member arrangedcoaxially to sald relief valve seat member, acted upon by said biasingmeans and loosely projecting through said seal and through saidrelief-chamber-defining partition. Said tubular member is closed on oneend thereof adjacent said relief valve seat member and forms a reliefvalve pintle cooperating with said relief valve seat member to formannular gaps of varying width upon relative movements between saidrelief valve seat member and said tubular member in a directionlongitudinally of said tubular member. The aforementioned tubular memberdefines at least one substantially radially extending perforationforming an orifice from the inside of said tubular member to theaforementioned relief chamber, and the aforementioncd tubular memberdefines at least one substantially radially extending perforationforming an orifice from the aforementioned outflow passage to the insideof said tubular member. This establishes a passageway for the flow offluid from the aforementioned outflow passage to the aforementionedrelief valve chamber. Said tubular member has adjacent the end thereofremote from said relief valve seat member a collar protruding radiallyoutwardly from said tubular member and forming a supply valve pintlearranged to cooperate with said supply valve seat defined by said valvebody.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a vertical section ofapressure regulator embodying this invention showing the constituentparts thereof in pressurerelief position;

FIG. 2 shows the same structure as FIG. 1 in the same fashion as FIG. 1but with the constituent parts thereofin fluid supply position ratherthan in pressure-relief position; and

FIG. 3 is a vertical section of. the pressure relief pintle and thefluid supply pintle of the structure of FIGS. 1 and 2 and of the meansby which these two parts are tied together.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, thevalve body I defines a supply passage 17 and an outflow passage 16 for afluid or gaseous medium. Pipe line 22 screw-threaded to valve body 1supplies fluid to the same whose pressure varies, and pipe line 23screw-threaded to valve body 1 derives fluid from valve body 1 whosepressure is constant and has a predetermined level which is generallylower than the pressure level of fluid admitted by pipe line 22 tosupply passage 17. Valve body 1 further defines an annular or circularsupply valve set 20 intermediate supply, passage 17 and outflow passage16. The partition 21 of valve body 1 separates supply passage 17 andoutflow passage 16 from a control chamber In defined by valve body 1.Outflow passage 16 communicates with control chamber 1a by a restrictedpassageway 18. Control chamber 1a is bounded at the upper side thereofby spring biased movable partition means including piston 6 and flexiblediaphragm 8. The outer periphery of the latter is clamped between valvebody 1 and bonnet or valve top 2 by means of bonnet screws 19. The rightside of bonnet 2 is provided with a venting hole 2a. Partition means 6,8 are biased in downward direction by helical range spring 5 whose lowerend abuts against piston 6 and whose upper end abuts against springsupporting plate or spring support 4 acted upon by setscrew orregulating-screw 3 supported in the center of bonnet 2. Piston 6supports an annular relief valve seat member 7 arranged in the center ofpiston 6 and projecting through a central perforation in the latter.Piston 6 further support a cup-shaped partition 9 which defines a reliefchamber 9a inside of, and separate from, control chamber 1a. A seal 15supported bypartition 21 of valve body 1 separates the supply passage 17and the outflow passage 16 from control chamber 1a. The bottom of valvebody 1 is closed by a screw-threaded bottom plug 13 supporting aflexible diaphragm 11 and defining jointly with the latter a chamber 13aSpring 14 inside bottom plug 13 is a means capable of exerting an upwardbias opposite to the downward bias exerted by spring 5 upon piston 6 andflexible membrane 8. If desired diaphragm 11 may be proportioned toexert a bias opposite to that of spring 5. A substantially tubularmember 10 IS arranged inside of casing l in coaxial relation to reliefvalve seat member 7 and projects loosely through a center perforation inseal 15 and a center perforation in partition 9, both perforationshaving an id substantially equal to, but slightly larger than, the o.d.of tubular member 10. The upper end of tubular member 10, i.e. the endthereof adjacent relief valve member 7 is closed and forms a conicalrelief valve pintle cooperating with relief valve seat member 7 to formannular gaps of varying width upon relative movements between reliefseat member 7 and tubular member 10 in a direction longitudinally of thelatter. Tubular member 10 defines at least one substantially radiallyextending perforation 10b forming an orifice from the inside of tubularmember 10 to relief chamber 9a. Preferably a plurality of suchperforations are provided, as clearly shown in FIGS. 1--3. Tubularmember 10 further defines at least one substantially radially extendingperforation 10c forming an orifice from outflow passage 16 to the insideof tubular member 10. Preferably a plurality of such perforations 106are provided as clearly shown In FIGS. 1-3. Thus a direct passageway fora flow of fluid reducing the pres sure in outflow passage 16 isprovided. This venting passageway extends from outflow passage 16through orifices 100, the inside of tubular member 10. orifices 10b,relief chamber 90, the gap formed between the closed conical end portion10a of tubular member 10.:relief valve seat member 7, the space boundedby bonnet 2 and venting hole 2a in bonnet 2 to the outer atmosphere.Tubular member 10 has adjacent the end remote from relief valve seatmember 7, i.e. adjacent its lower end, a collar 10d protruding radiallyoutwardly from tubular member 10 and forming a supply valve pintlehaving an annular surface arranged to cooperate with the annular supplyvalve i.e. 20 defined by valve body 1. Tubular member 10 extends belowits supply-valve-pintle-forming collar 10d and supports on the outersurface thereof a ring 12 clamping the radially inner side of flexiblediaphragm 11 against a shoulder defined by collar 10d and tubular member10. The lower end of tubular member 10 defines a coaxial opening [esituated below flexible diaphragm 11 inside of chamber 130. Helicalresetting spring 14 rests with the upper end thereof against clampingring 12 and thus tends to bias tubular member 10in upward direction,i.e. in a direction opposite to the bias exerted by spring and reliefvalve seat member 7 upon tubular member (See FIG. 2).

Partition 21 of valve body 1 defines an annular groove 21 for receivingthe outer periphery of disk-shaped circular seal 15.

The cup-shaped partition 9 defining relief chamber 9a has an annularsupporting lip 9b clamped between a radially outwardly extending flange7b formed by part 7 and piston 6 and flexible membrane 8, respectively.

It will be apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2 that perforations 10b in tubularmember 10 are arranged more remotely from relief valve seat member 7than the closed cone-shaped end 10a of tubular member 10.

Tubular member 10 and its supply-valve-pintle-forming collar 10d may beformed by two separate parts integrated into a structural unit.Preferably member 10 and collar 10d are constituted by a single unitarypart as shown in FIG. 3.

The desired downstream pressure at 16 and la, respectively, is set byrotating screw 3 and thus increasing or decreasing, as the case may be,the bias of spring 5 upon cylinder 6 and annular relief valve seatmember 7. Whenever the pressure within control chamber In upon flexiblemembrane 8 and piston 6 exceeds the downward bias of spring 5 uponpiston 6, piston 6 and annular relief valve member 7 are moved upwardlyin the direction of arrow R of FIG. I, thus establishing an annular gapbetween parts 7 and 10a. This allows venting of outflow passage 16through orifices 100, the inside of tubular member 10, orifices 10b,relief chamber 9a, relief valve seat member 7 and venting passage orventing hole 2a. This venting or relief flow lasts until the downstreampressure in control chamber la and in outflow passage 16 are reduced tothe required, or desired, level. At this point there is equilibriumbetween the pressure exerted upon piston 6 and annular relief valvemember 7 in upward direction and in downward direction. When thisequilibrium condition is established the upper closed end 10a of tubularmember 10 plugs the central orifice defined by relief valve seat member7.

Assuming now that the downstream pressure in outflow passage 16 and inchamber 1a are below the required, or desired, level defined by theaction of spring 5 upon piston 6. This means that the pressure incontrol chamber 1a is not exerting a sufficiently high force upondiaphragm 8 and piston 6 to equalize the opposite force of preset rangespring 5. As a result, piston 6, relief valve seat member 7, cup-shapedpartition member 9 and flexible diaphragm 8 are moved in downwarddirection, i.e. the direction of arrow S of FIG. 2. Tubular member 10 islikewise moved in downward direction or the direction of arrow S sinceits upper closed end 10a is engaged by the relief valve seat member 7.Thus supply pintle 10d is caused to part from its mating supply valveseat 20 and to allow a flow of fluid from supply passage 17 to outflowpassage 16. This flow continues until the downstream pressure in chamberla and passage 16 has been raised to the desired level. Then a newequilibrium condition is established between the forces acting in upwarddirection and acting in downward direction upon piston 6. When thisequilibrium condition has been reached piston 6 is in a higher positionthan that sown in FIG. 2, and has raised with it a correspondingdistance all parts integral with it. The movement of piston 6 in adirection opposite to that of arrow S has no immediate effect upontubular member 10 since the fit between tubular member 10 and partition9 is but a loose fit. In the equilibrium position of piston 6 thecone-shaped upper end 10a of tubular member just contacts relief valveseat member 7 and supply pintle 10d just contacts supply valve seat 20of valve body 1.

This calls for a slight upward bias of tubular member 10 to cause thelatter to follow the upward movement of piston 6 and the parts integralwith the latter in the direction opposite to that of arrow S. Flexiblediaphragm 11 may be designed to balance the forces of fluid exerted uponthe supply-valve-pintle-forming collar 10d, in which case tubular member10 is moved in upward direction by the action of biasing or resettingspring 13 only. On the other hand, diaphragm 11 may be dimensioned toovercompensate the downward action of fluid upon collar or supply pintle10d and to impart a slight upward bias to tubular member 10 which may beadded to that of spring 14, or be sufficiently high to dispensealtogether with the provision of spring 14.

I claim:

I. A pressure regulator including:

a. a valve body 1 defining a supply passage 17, an outflow passage 16, asupply valve seat 20 intermediate said supply passage 17 and saidoutflow passage 16 and a control chamber la communicating with saidoutflow passage 16 by a restricted passageway 18;

b. biased movable partition means 6,8 bounding said control chamber 1aon one side thereof and supporting an annular relief valve seat member 7and a relief-chamberdefining partition 9 forming a relief chamber 911inside of and separate from said control chamber la;

c. a seal 15 supported by said valve body 1 separating said supplypassage 17 and said outflow passage 16 from said control chamber 1a;

d. biasing means 11,14 capable of exerting a bias opposite to the biasacting upon said movable partition means 6,8; and

e. a substantially tubular member 10 arranged coaxially to said reliefvalve seat member 7, acted upon by said biasing means 11,14 and looselyprojecting through said seal 15, said tubular member 10 being closed onone end 10a thereof adjacent said relief valve seat member 7 and forminga relief valve pintle cooperating with said relief valve seat member 7to form annular gaps of varying width upon relative movements betweensaid relief valve seat member 7 and said tubular member 10 in adirection longitudinally of said tubular member 10, said tubular member10 defining at least one substantially radially extending perforation10b forming an orifice from the inside of said tubular member 10 to saidrelief chamber 9a and said tubular member 10 defining at least onesubstantially radially extending perforation 10c forming an orifice fromsaid outflow passage 16 to the inside of said tubular member 10 thusestablishing a direct passageway for a flow of fluid from said outflowpassage 16 to said relief chamber 9a, said tubular member '10 havingadjacent the end thereof remote from said relief valve seat member 7 acollar 10d protruding radially outwardly from said tubular member 10 andfonning a supply valve pintle arranged to cooperate with said supplyvalve seat 20 defined by said valve body 1.

2. A pressure regulator as specified in claim 1 including:

a hollow bottom plug 13 engaging and affixed to said valve body 1arranged in coaxial relation to said tubular member 10 and defining aplug chamber 13a;

b. a flexible diaphragm ll subdividing said plug chamber into a firstportion adjacent said supply-pintle-forming collar 10d of said tubularmember 10 and into a second portion remote from saidsupply-pintle-forming collar 10d of said tubular member 10; and

c. said tubular member 10 having a coaxial opening 10a at the endthereof opposite said closed relief-valve-pintleforming end 10a thereof,said coaxial opening 10e being located in said second portion of saidplug chamber 13a.

3. A pressure regulator as specified in claim 2 wherein a helicalresetting spring 14 is interposed between the inner surface of saidbottom plug 13 and the end of said tubular member having said coaxialopening 10:3.

4. A pressure regulator as specified in claim 1 including:

a. a hollow bottom plug 13 screwed into said valve body 1 arranged incoaxial relation to said tubular member 10 and defining a plug chamber13a;

b. a flexible diaphragm ll subdividing said chamber into a first axiallyinner portion and a second axially outer portion; and

c. said tubular member 10 being adapted to establish a communication forthe flow of fluid through said tubular member 10 into said secondaxially outer portion of said plug chamber 13a.

5 A pressure regulator as specified in claim 1 wherein said valve body 1includes a partition 21 separating said control chamber In from saidsupply passage 17 and from said outflow passage 16, said partition 21defining an annular groove 21 for said seal 15, said seal beingsubstantially in the shape of a disk engaging said annular groove 21' atthe outer periphery thereof and having a central aperture for thepassage of said tubular member 10.

6. A pressure regulator as specified in claim 1 wherein: a. said biasedmovable partition means 6,8 includes a piston 6 having a centralaperture; b. said annular relief valve seat member 7 projects throughsaid central aperture of said piston 6 and has a downstream ventingorifice situated to one side of said piston 6 and an upstream orificeinto which said closed end 10a of said tubular member 10 projects; andwherein c. said relief-chamber-defining partition 9 is substantiallycup-shaped and has a supporting lip 9b interposed between said piston 6and a portion of said relief valve seat member 7 projecting through saidcentral aperture of said piston 6 and forming a flange 7b extendingradially outwardly from said central aperture.

7. A pressure regulator as specified in claim 1 wherein said tubularmember 10 is substantially cone-shaped at said closed end 10a thereof.

8. A pressure regulator as specified in claim 7 wherein said radialperforation 10b of said tubular member 10 adjacent said one end 10athereof is arranged more remotely from said annular relief valve seatmember 7 than said substantially coneshaped closed end 10a of saidtubular member 10.

9. A pressure regulator as specified in claim 1 wherein said tubularmember 10 defines a plurality of substantially radially extendingperforations 10b adjacent said one end thereof, and wherein said tubularmember 10 defines a plurality of substantially radially extendingperforations 10c adjacent the end thereof opposite said one end athereof.

10. A pressure regulator as specified in claim 1 wherein said tubularmember 10 and said radially outwardly protruding collar 10a thereof areconstituted by one single unitary part.

